More Than Meets The Eye
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: Aang has been away from Katara for six months dealing with meetings in the Fire Nation, & she dearly misses him. But one day, an old man comes to her & asks her if she can help him find someone in Ba Sing Se. Katara soon finds that he isn't what he seems.


I'm back! :D I loved writing this little oneshot here for ya'll. Just a little something I came up with the other day. :P It actually turned out a little different than I orignally planned, but I think it made it even better. :) I dearly hope you all enjoy reading this heartfelt oneshot, and please review! Review like your life depends on it! :D

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it.

**More Than Meets The Eye**

The crimson sun began to set in the west, bathing the glorious city of Ba Sing Se in its majestic light. Peace has reigned over the world for the past four years, ever since the Avatar defeated the evil Fire Lord during the time of Sozin's Comet. Relations between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nations have steadily improved since that momentous day, and in truth no one in the world should feel conflicted within themselves or with others.

But there was one young woman in this city whose heart was in utter turmoil.

She stood on the outskirts of the walled city, facing the west as she watched the sun set. She was dark skinned, just like the rest of her people from the South Pole. She was wearing a light blue kimono, with cyan-colored patterns of waves at the ends of the long sleeves and the bottom of the dress. A blue sash was around her midsection, held together by a buckle with a Water Tribe symbol on it. In the fold of the kimono across her chest was a dark blue binding that covered her cleavage, keeping her developed chest from prying and perverted eyes. A blue betrothal necklace was around her tan neck, the symbol of Waterbending engraved on the polished stone and a blue choker that held the stone in place. Two hair loops hung down on either side of her face, her signature look that framed her face so perfectly. The rest of her dark brown hair billowed down her back, blowing slightly in the gentle evening breeze. Her eyes were two orbs of pure blue, which were full of sadness and longing.

This young woman's heart was in turmoil not because of overwhelming sorrow or grief…but rather of the love she felt for the one who was so far away from her. She reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a parchment of paper, a letter she had received early that morning. She found herself reading this letter over and over again throughout the day, reminding herself of the loved one who wrote it. As she looked down at the calligraphic characters, she silently read in her mind:

_Dear my beloved Katara,_

_I know it's been a long time since we last saw each other, six months in fact, but I just wanted to write to you so you knew how I was doing. This is the only time I've been able to find in these long months to write this letter. The negotiations between the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation are taking longer than expected, and there are major trade disputes with the Northern Water Tribe as well. There have also been small pockets of rebellion throughout the Fire Nation Islands, but Zuko assures me that these resistances are too small to spread into a nation-wide conflict. There is still much work to do, what with reconstruction efforts around the world to diplomatic negotiations, so I don't know when I'll see you again._

_I also wanted to write to you to tell you that I miss you with all my heart. I miss everything about you…your smile, your laughter, the love in your beautiful eyes, your angelic voice, your kindness and gentleness…I miss it all. Not a day has gone by where I have not thought of you, for you are always in my heart. I desperately wish to be in your arms again, to tell you how much I love you. But sadly, my duty as the Avatar prevents me from doing that at the moment. Remain strong in your love for me, and I promise you on my duty as the Avatar that I will return to you as quickly as I can. My heart has been aching so long for me to come back to you…I dearly hope that this pain does not last forever. Wait for me, my forever girl._

_Yours forever and for always,_

_Aang_

Tears stung Katara's eyes as she read the letter, her heart welling up with love for the young Avatar as she sadly smiled. She put the letter back into her dress's pocket, wiping away her tears after she stored the letter. She looked out at the setting sun, imagining that he would come from over the horizon on Appa and speed his way towards her. She held her hands to her chest and quietly said, "Aang…please come back to me…I will wait for however long it takes you to come back…I will still be here." She smiled to herself, her heart silently sending out her love to Aang.

She began to turn to head back into the city, but she suddenly spotted something on the road leading up to the walled city. She saw what appeared to be an old man huddling along the road, completely cloaked from head to toe in a black robe and severely hunched over as he wearily used his long walking stick to support himself. Katara raised an eyebrow at the sight of the strange man, not sure if she what she was seeing was real. Suddenly the old man fell over, the staff cluttering out of his reach. Katara gasped in surprise and ran over to the old man, worried that he might be hurt. When she got to him, she knelt down by his side and asked, "Are you all right?"

The old man coughed and said in a creaky voice, "Yes, yes, I'm quite fine." He slowly got on his hands and knees, saying, "Just took a nasty tumble is all." His hands fumbled around the dirt as he said, "Now where is that blasted walking stick of mine?" He grumbled to himself, "Stupid eyesight, got worse and worse every year…"

Katara looked over to her left and saw the staff lying just a few feet from them. She picks it up and turns to the old man, saying, "Here's your staff." The old man quickly grabbed it from her hands, wearily getting up on shaky legs.

She made a motion to help him, but the old man said, "I'm fine. I may be old, but I can still stand up on my own." Katara hesitated for a moment, and then stood up to allow the old man to get up by himself. She noticed that he was wearing gloves on his hands as well as rugged boots on his feet, and a bushy white beard hung down his face. The cloak obscured so much of his face that all Katara could see was the beard. The old man finally finished standing up and sighed tiredly, saying, "Thank you, young lady. My old bones are tired from all the walking I've been doing lately."

She smiled at him and said, "You're very welcome, kind sir." She paused and asked, "What are you doing out here all alone? The country side is a dangerous place for someone your age."

"Bah!" exclaimed the old man as he waved a hand at her. "When you're this close to Ba Sing Se, nothing's dangerous." He put his hand on his staff and said, "Actually, I've come here to find someone."

Katara raised an eyebrow inquisitively and asked, "Who?"

The old man chuckled as he pointed the staff at her and said, "Now that would be my own business, young lady." He returned the staff to his side and added, "But seeing as how you've helped me just now, I suppose I could tell you what exactly my business here is." He took a few steps forward and said, "I've come here to find someone I love, someone I've not seen in a long time." Katara opened her mouth to ask who the person was, but the old man quickly said, "I'm not telling you who she is. That's _my_ little secret." He chuckled as Katara closed her mouth, smiling at the funny old man.

"Oh, you're looking for a woman?" asked Katara teasingly. "Might I ask who she is?"

The old man was silent as he looked up at the Inner Wall of Ba Sing Se, and Katara could tell that something was heavy on his old heart. "She's the love of my life," quietly replied the old man, a trace of sadness in his creaky voice. "She's the woman who I can't live without, and I haven't seen her in a long time…" Katara's heart went out to the old man, for she felt the same way about Aang.

"How long has it been since you last saw her?" asked Katara. She wanted to try and help this old man in any way she could, to help him find his true love despite the fact that her heart was aching for Aang.

The old man looked back down and thoughtfully said, "Ah, that's a mighty fine question…I'd have to say that's been longer than I'd have liked. Every day without her has been as long as an eternity, and I want nothing more to find her and hold her in my arms again…" The two were silent for a while, a sense of understanding passing between them. Suddenly, the old man hissed in pain as he doubled over slightly and said, "Well…it seems like that fall took a bit more out of then I thought." He began to hobble to the side of the road as he said, "Suppose I could find a nice hay bale to sleep in…start my search in the morning and-"

"Come back to my place," interjected Katara kindly, causing the old man to stop. "I have a home in the Upper Ring and a spare bed available for weary travelers. Just rest at my house for the night and you can try to find your loved one in the morning."

"Oh no no no," protested the old man as he waved his hand dismissively. "I don't want to be a burden to a kind young lady such as yourself. I'm just an old windbag, and you'd find me extremely boring."

"Come on," cheerfully pleaded Katara. "I'm not about to abandon someone who's come such a long way to find the one they love." She paused and added, "And I find older people to be very interesting company." She chuckled as she said, "You should meet Fire Lord Zuko's Uncle Iroh. Now _he's_ an interesting old man, and he's about the same age as you." She smiled at the old man and said, "Please? Just for tonight, stay at my place?"

"Well…" said the old man thoughtfully as he stroked his long beard, contemplating Katara's offer. He was silent for a few moments, then returned his hand to his staff as he said, "Since you asked so nicely, and since you seem like a caring young lady, I'd be happy to accompany you to your home. But surely there must be some way to repay you for your kindness."

Katara shook her head and said, "Don't worry about it. I need no payment to know that I helped someone find their true love after being apart from them for so long." She smiled kindly at the old man, whose beard lifted as his chin was pulled upward into what seemed to be a smile.

"That's mighty kind of you, ma'am," sincerely replied the old man as he inclined his head towards her. He gestured to the city with his staff and said, "Lead the way, and I will follow." She nodded, and the two made their way into the city of Ba Sing Se.

The old man remaind hunched as he walked, using the staff as a walking stick. Katara looked over at him and asked, "So what's your name?"

"Ah, my name's not important," he merely replied, grunting slightly as he hobbled along. "I'm just a weary old traveler looking to settle down with the woman I love. Nothing more, nothing less." He paused briefly and asked, "And what is your name, young lass?"

"I'm Katara," she responded in a friendly tone. "I'm from the Southern Water Tribe."

The man gasped and said in astonishment, "Well, bless my bones! Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, the Waterbending teacher of the Avatar?" He shook his head in amazement and said, "Never in all my days did I imagine meeting one of the great heroes of the Hundred Years' War." He chuckled and added, "Destiny is a funny thing, isn't it Master Katara?"

She smiled and replied, "It certainly is, stranger, and you can just call me Katara." She blushed as she added, "I'm not much for formalities."

The old man cackled and said, "Ain't we all, Miss Katara?" He paused and added, "I'm sure you must have some mighty fine stories from your travels with the Avatar. Must have been dangerous, going up against the Fire Nation with your small band of heroes."

She nodded and replied, "It was, and I wouldn't have traded any of it for the world. My friends and I all changed on our journey around the world…especially Aang." She looked down at the cobblestone pathway they were walking on, sadly thinking about her boyfriend and eternal soul mate.

The old man sensed her sadness and asked, "The Avatar must mean a lot to you…doesn't he, Miss Katara?" She looked at him in surprise, and he added, "I can tell from the sound of your voice that you have strong feelings for the boy, and that you love him a lot." A blush appeared on Katara's face, and the old man chuckled, "Am I getting close, Miss Katara?"

She smiled timidly and sincerely replied, "You're spot on, actually." She paused and softly said, "We've been together for four years, ever since the end of The War, but…he's been away in the Fire Nation for six months performing his Avatar duties." Sadness enters her voice as she said, "I miss him…"

"So you know the pain I feel at the moment?" asked the old man, eliciting a mournful nod from Katara. "I've been searching my whole life for this woman, to find her again and tell her how much I love her. I've traveled all across the world, from the South Pole to the North Pole, from the Earth Kingdom to the four Air Temples, and even to the Fire Nation itself." He paused as he hobbled and added, "But no matter where I went, she would always slip from my grasp, as if she were a changing wind. I followed my heart the whole time, never giving up in my quest for her."

"How long has your quest lasted?" asked Katara as she looked back at him, curious to see just how much the old man's love drove him on.

"Many ages, Miss Katara," he sagely replied. "I've seen many things in my life, but she is the one I could never forget even in my old age…she is as lovely as any angel of the Spirit World, kind and benevolent to all those she meets, yet fiercely bold and defensive of those she loves. And her eyes…oh! How I could just lose myself completely to her loving gaze…she is a fair woman, and she had my heart from the first moment we met."

Katara smiled at the old man's musings and said, "She sounds like she's very beautiful…and very special to you."

"Aye," replied the old man as he nodded his head, "that she is, Miss Katara…that she is." He hummed thoughtfully and said, "Love is a truly wonderful thing. It can bind not only whole nations together, but also the hearts of two lovers. Love is the binding force of the Universe, for it brings the hearts and souls of two individuals together as one…uniting them forever in its warm embrace. But love can be full of hardships as well, and those two lovers must stay strong even in the face of adversity…much like you and the young Avatar are."

She nodded sadly and said, "I love Aang with all my heart, and I don't ever want to lose him…he's already died once, but I was able to bring him back with Spirit Water from the Oasis at the North Pole." She paused and added, "That was the scariest time of my life…"

The old man hums thoughtfully and said, "A wise man from my past once told me that love is hard…especially when you're young. But while young love is hard, it is also the most fruitful type of love. Your heart opens like a blossom to the one you love dearly, your inner beauty expressed to your loved one with all the majesty and wonder of a spring meadow. Never let your love for the young Avatar wither and die, for I sense that he has gone through much hardship within his own heart to be with you, Miss Katara."

She raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "How do you know that?"

"Because I was once young myself!" cackled the old man, causing Katara to smile. "I may be old, but I know what young love was like!" He paused as he grunted and said, "But in all seriousness, Miss Katara…do you truly love the Avatar? Would you stay by his side, even in the darkest of times? Would you give your undying love to him, even if the whole world told you that you two could never be? What would you say to all those nay-sayers who think that the Avatar is not worth of a fine young lady such as yourself?"

"I would tell them that I completely love Aang and that I would never, _ever_ leave his side," she firmly replied. "As for my undying love, he had it the day I brought him back from the dead. We've gone through too much for us to drift apart so easily, and I will never let Aang go, no matter who tries to tear us apart." The two of them were silent for a few moments as they walked along, tension in the air from Katara's bold words of love.

Finally, the old man nodded and said, "Your words are sincere, and your love for the Avatar is strong indeed…I believe that you two have a long life ahead of you, perhaps even a whole lifetime together…" He paused and added, "I apologize if I seem a bit forward on the matters of the heart. I meant no disrespect by my prying, Miss Katara."

She smiled kindly at him and said, "It's all right. You actually helped to remind me of just how much I love Aang." She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Thank you…I really needed that."

The old man chuckled as Katara takes her hand off and replied, "Glad to be of service, Miss Katara…although I hope that when I find my love that she'll accept me with open arms…it's been so long…"

Katara smiled sympathetically at the old man and said reassuringly, "After all you've been through to come back to her, I'm sure that she'll not only accept you, but completely welcome you back…and she'll tell you just how much she loves you."

The old man's chin pulled upward as he smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Miss Katara. I can rest easy tonight knowing that I have such a wonderful young woman instilling me with such confidence." She smiled at him, and the two continued to walk through Ba Sing Se.

They finally arrived at Katara's house in the Upper Ring, and as she opened the door she said, "Well, this is my home." She walked in front of the old man as he entered in behind her. Katara's back was to the old man (who is about seven feet behind her) as she looked around the main living room and said, "Make yourself comfortable."

"I'll be sure to," replied a strong, happy voice from behind her, not the creaky voice of the old man.

Katara whipped around to see that the old man had suddenly stood up straight, his white beard now in his hand and his hood flipped back to reveal his head. She gasped as she looked upon the man's bald head, which was adorned with a single blue arrow. "Aang!" she cried out happily, running to the Avatar and throwing her arms around his shoulders in a mighty hug. Aang and Katara both laughed with joy as they spun around, still hugging each other. Soon they stopped spinning and Aang put Katara down, who had a happy smile on her tan face. "Is it really you?" she asked joyfully, love flooding her voice.

"How many Avatars do you know?" replied Aang teasingly, and the two pulled each other into a passionate kiss. All their longing for each other poured into their souls at that moment, intensifying their loving kiss. Soon the two separated and Aang happily whispered, "Spirits, I've missed you, Katara…"

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she laughed joyfully. "Why are you dressed up as an old man? Where's Appa? What about the negotations in the Fire Nation? And why-" She was cut off as Aang kissed her deeply on the lips again, but she smiled and earnestly returned the kiss. They separated again and she finished, "And why are you wearing a fake beard?"

"Answering those questions in order," said Aang as he took in a deep breath, "I came back here to see you, the disguise was to surprise you, Appa's back in the Fire Nation, and don't worry, Zuko's taking care of him, the negotiations have been over for about a week, and the fake beard is made from Appa's fur." He panted slightly after his quick rant of answers, but he still smiled at her. "I should probably lose the beard," he said, causing Katara to nod in agreement. He threw the white beard onto a nearby chair, leaning his staff against a nearby wall.

As Aang looked back at her, Katara gasped and said, "Wait a minute…the woman the old man…I mean you...were searching for…was _me_?" A blush burst to life across her face, her heart racing as she realized that everything she said to the old man…she actually said to Aang.

Aang nodded and said, "Yes…I've been away from you for so long, and I just had to see you again." His grip around her waist tightened as he pulled her closer to him, causing her blush to intensify. "I was so overjoyed when the negotiations were finally over that I ran across the entire ocean just to get back to the Earth Kingdom, and I've been on the road for a few days just sprinting through the countryside with my Airbending. I got the cloak from a village on the way here, and I made the walking stick from a fallen branch."

"Wow…" she said in amazement, her eyes full of surprise. "You must have been dying to get back to me."

"I was," replied Aang sincerely. He paused and hesitantly asked, "Did you really mean what you said back there…about how much you love me? Would you really stay by my side no matter what happens?"

She smiled lovingly and said, "I meant every word, Aang. I love you with all my heart, and I'm so overjoyed that you're finally back."

"So am I," chuckled Aang. "I've been a walking heartache ever since I left six months ago, and all I've thought about was you. Whenever I woke up in the morning, my heart would ache with so much pain because you weren't there. At night, I would miss you so much that I even cried myself to sleep some nights. I thought about you every day, about how I wanted to come back and hold you in my arms…to tell you how much I love you…to tell you how much I need you in my life. I love you with my whole heart, and nothing will ever change that. I've gone through many lifetimes to get to this point…the crossroads of our destinies…of our whole lives." He let go of her and got down on one knee, pulling something out his robe and holding it up to Katara. She gasped as she saw the object in his hand, happy tears springing into her eyes as she realized what he was holding…

A betrothal necklace.

Engraved on the white stone of the necklace was the symbol of Airbending, an orange choker attached to the polished stone. The necklace looked as if it had been carefully crafted over a long period of time, and Katara realized that he has been working on it for a while. He looked up at her with loving eyes and sincerely asked, "Katara, would you do me the honor of making me the happiest man in the world…will you marry me?" Katara hesitated for a moment, and fear began to set into Aang's heart.

She took off her own betrothal necklace and held it in her hand, gazing sadly upon the last reminder of her mother. For so long, she has worn this blue necklace as a reminder of what her mother did for her…she gave her life so that her daughter could live to see this moment. Katara knew her time with this necklace was over, but she did not need to get rid of it. She wrapped her mother's necklace around her right wrist, securing the precious trinket so that it didn't fall off. She took Aang's necklace and held it in her hand, admiring the craftsmanship the young Avatar put into it. This new necklace signified a new life for her…a life with the one she loves…a life with Aang. She slowly put the new necklace on and took a deep breath, composing herself before she said the final word:

"Yes."

Happy tears flowed down her face as Aang stood up, and she happily exclaimed, "Yes, I will marry you!" She threw her arms around Aang and crashed her lips against his, pouring all her love and adoration for him through that one kiss. He happily returned the kiss, wrapping his strong arms around her slender waist. They remained this way for several minutes, rocking back and forth in their love for each other. Soon they separated and let their foreheads intimately touch each other, staring deeply into their partner's soul through the windows of their eyes. All they could see was pure love, happiness, joy, and sheer bliss…the true spirit of their souls. "Thank you, Aang…" she happily whispered through her tears, smiling lovingly at him.

"Was all this worth the wait?" he asked, his voice heavy with hope.

She smiled as more tears slid down her face and replied, "It was all worth it…all those months of missing you…the loving pain I felt for you…it was all worth it knowing that you've made me the happiest woman in the world with this one gesture…even if I had waited my whole life for you to return, I would still love you with all my heart…" They smiled at each other and pulled each other into another passionate kiss, true love in their happy hearts.

From on high, the Spirits watched as the Avatar began his life-long covenant with the master Waterbender, and they all knew that they were truly a match made in the stars.


End file.
